Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “It Is Very Important to Establish a Proper Relationship With God”

Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Audio)

Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “It Is Very Important to Establish a Proper Relationship With God”

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Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “It Is Very Important to Establish a Proper Relationship With God”

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What is life entry? What is the path to life entry? First, we believe in God, not a person. This is something you must understand. Can we obtain the truth and life? Can we be saved and made perfect? Can we be brought into the kingdom of God? What is the key factor here? The key is to establish a proper relationship with God. As soon as we achieve this, we have the basis, the prerequisites, a guarantee and the ability to achieve life entry. The direct consequence of not establishing a proper relationship with God is that we will not be able to obtain the work of the Holy Spirit. If we do not obtain the work of the Holy Spirit, if we just do this and that in the Lord’s name, laboring for Him, what will be the result? Some people say, “Even if we do not get credit, we are rewarded by hard work. If we get no credit for our hard work, we are rewarded with fatigue.” What is “fatigue”? Is it life? Is it truth? Fatigue is nothing. What is fatigue? It is empty. It is vanity! You understand, right? Establishing a proper relationship with God will allow us to obtain the work of the Holy Spirit. With the work of the Holy Spirit, we are living in the light of God’s face, we are living under His guidance, and we are living and acting in accordance with His will. This way, everything we do will earn His praise. Isn’t this true? Therefore, if we want our belief in God to allow us to obtain truth, obtain life, be saved and be made perfect, we must first establish a proper relationship with God.

Someone said, “What is a proper relationship with God?” A “proper relationship” means a relationship between creation and Creator; it means treating God as God and obeying Him, treating God as God and believing in Him and becoming a person who is truly obedient to God. This is the most important relationship we must have. If you can truly obey God, give your heart to God and have a true communion with God, then God is your God and you are a person of God. Is this not a proper relationship? If people do not have a proper relationship with God, then what kind of relationship do they have? A negative, incorrect relationship. Can you see this? This means that people are trying to take advantage of God and gain His blessings. They are trying to use Him to achieve a purpose, guarantee peace, ward off disaster and avoid death. Is this a proper relationship? There is also a type of “quid-pro-quo” relationship, “God, if You save me and keep me from disaster, if You don’t let me die and allow me to enter Your kingdom, I will work for You and sacrifice everything for You and suffer for You.” Is this not the very definition of quid-pro-quo? In the former relationship, one seeks to use God to achieve their own ends. It’s not a proper relationship. In the latter, one seeks to conduct a “transaction” with God, exchanging labor for His blessing. This is a business transaction, not a proper relationship. One wants to use God and one seeks to conduct a transaction. Neither of these represents a proper relationship with God. Do you understand?

Those who seek to use God for sustenance and hope that their belief in Him will earn His blessings, what kind of relationship do they have with God? They believe in God to use Him. Then there are those who believe in Him to get His blessings. This is just making a deal with God. Paul’s path and the way he conducted himself, what does that reflect about his relationship with God? He was mainly thinking, “Lord Jesus, You shone Your light on me from heaven; You’ve allowed me to see that You are the Lord, Christ. Well then, didn’t You ask me to work for You? I agreed to do so. I am working as an apostle for You and spreading Your gospel. I can accept any hardship, but my purpose is to enter the kingdom of heaven, become rewarded and be crowned.” What was his relationship with the Lord? Paul’s relationship with the Lord was actually using the Lord and making a deal with Him. The work he did for the Lord was not done in an attempt to be saved, nor was he trying to get to know God and live a meaningful life, put his fate in God’s hands or obey God’s plans. That was not it. When he had suffered hardships and paid some price, he was complacent. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day …” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). See, he wanted a crown from the Lord. “Lord, You are righteous. Thus, You must give a crown to me according to Your righteousness. There is nothing more to be said. Come. Bring me the crown.” As soon as he said these words, didn’t the purpose behind his work become very clear? He didn’t say, “I have suffered much for the Lord, but this is His exaltation, His grace! The Lord has given me this chance to spread the gospel as part of His plan. This is a chance for me to repent. If I cannot repent, then I should be destroyed as punishment for my defiance of the Lord. However, these past few years, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, God’s work has achieved some results in me. I really have grown to know the Lord. I’ve seen that God is almighty. If it wasn’t for God’s work, I would not be able to gain anyone. Even if I spread the gospel, it would have no effect. This is the power of God! Now I have some knowledge of God. I can finally live a little bit like a real person. I have a little bit of a conscience and sense. If God puts His trust in me and asks me to work again for Him, then I will do my best to oblige Him. I want to live a meaningful life.” If he had said something like that, then his purpose for believing in God and his relationship with God would be proper, right? Nowadays, many people can’t distinguish this. They cannot determine whether someone has a proper relationship with God or not. They do not know what a proper relationship with God is. Today Almighty God has expressed these truths. As we ponder over Almighty God’s words, we realize that, “These words are the truth. Almighty God’s words reveal man’s relationship with God, what a proper relationship is and what an improper relationship is.” If God’s words hadn’t been so clear, we would be just like all of the other people who believed in the Lord during the Age of Grace, unable to see anything. From this we can see that we have received God’s grace and have been enlightened by Him to understand the truth in His words, so that we understand more about man’s relationship with God.

I will read a sentence from God’s words. “People believe in God, love God, and satisfy God by touching the Spirit of God with their heart, thereby obtaining the satisfaction of God; and when engaging with God’s words with their heart, they are therefore moved by the Spirit of God.” This is one sentence. This sentence is the truth. Every sentence of God’s words is the truth. When you get to a period, that makes a full sentence, and it means there’s truth there. Tell me, where is the truth in this sentence? “People believe in God, love God, and satisfy God by touching the Spirit of God with their heart.” This means, if you believe in God or love God or satisfy God, you must touch His Spirit with your heart. This is the only way you’ll be effective. If you do not use your heart to contact His Spirit, you will never earn God’s satisfaction and never be moved by the Holy Spirit. Here, can we say that God’s words reveal the mystery of how people can believe in God, love God, fulfill God and satisfy God? Whether you believe in Him or you seek to love and satisfy Him, you must use your heart to contact His Spirit. That’s what He means by “touching the Spirit of God with their heart, thereby obtaining the satisfaction of God.” If people do not use their heart to touch His Spirit, they will never earn God’s satisfaction and never be moved by the Holy Spirit. These words immediately clarify how to earn God’s satisfaction and become moved by the Holy Spirit. Then, where have most believers in the Lord failed throughout history? What’s wrong with saying religious prayers? Those who seek to conduct a transaction with God or use Him to obtain blessings, what mistakes are they making? What have they failed to do? What have they lost? If we want to sum up the main failures of all believers, we can say they are not using their hearts to touch God’s Spirit. “Not using their hearts to touch God’s Spirit,” how would we describe this in practical terms? We’d say that when they pray, they’re not talking to God from the heart, and they’re not contacting His Spirit with their hearts. They do not give their hearts to God, so they do not earn His satisfaction and do not receive the work of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t this right? Let’s give an example. Of course, when we say we want to give an example, well then we’re obligated to use the most famous person in religion as the example. Tell me, did Paul use his heart to touch God’s Spirit? Someone said no. Is there evidence? Give me an example. This is something that must be acknowledged. If you just state it simply like that, many believers in the Lord will not agree. They’ll say, “You’re wrong. I don’t see it that way. That’s your opinion.” See? They just won’t accept it. Then, what is the difference between praying in God’s name with your lips and “touching God’s Spirit with your heart”? When we read God’s words, we must carefully ponder each sentence. If we don’t, can we really understand it? No, we have to be meticulous. If you aren’t meticulous, you’ll just say “I will use my heart to touch God’s Spirit,” and that will be that. Then they’ll say, “When you say that, what do you really mean? Is there a practical manifestation of what you’re talking about? I don’t see the path there. I just see that as an empty phrase. It’s the same as just praying to God with one’s lips.” If you just say it like that, will other people be able to understand you? Then, is there a difference between praying in God’s name with your lips and touching His Spirit with your heart? Yes, there is. Sometimes reciting a prayer doesn’t necessarily mean you’re using your heart. In that case, what does it mean then? Sometimes, when we say prayers, it comes from the mind. Our brain produces thoughts which then spill out of our mouth instead of coming from our hearts. Is there a difference between words that come from the brain and words that come from the heart? Someone said there is a difference. Then, the words you say when you pray to God from the heart and when you ponder God’s words with your heart, what kinds of words are these? Can you discern them? Well, say something to God from your heart, then say something to God from your brain and then compare the two.

Speak from the heart and tell me, what have you gained from believing in God? Speak from your heart, pray. For some people, when they read God’s word of judgment they try to ponder over it and pray. After praying for a while, they see their true corrupt nature and say something like this from the heart, “God’s words reveal the exact truth. In the beginning, I had my own conceptions. I thought that God’s words went a bit too far, were a bit too judgmental and exaggerated a bit. As I experience them again this time, I know that God speaks the absolute truth. God, when I came face-to-face with You, I was able to see my true self. I am a total jerk! I am a devil! This isn’t an exaggeration!” What do you think of this? Is it true? “Ever since I ate and drank Your words, I have become more and more clear about humanity’s corruption by the day. Now I have no conceptions about Your words, what You reveal, Your judgment and Your conviction. These words You speak are all the truth; it is all true.” This is practical, right? Say some words from your head, some empty logic. Say something more. Someone says, “God! I know You love me and raise me up, so I will do my part for You.” That really sounds vivid, that’s empty logic. “Logic” does not come from the heart. It is imagined by the brain and comes out of the mouth. Some people say, “Almighty God! You are the second coming of the Lord Jesus. You are the manifestation of Jehovah God, Master of the universe. We will always believe in You and always love You. We want to obey You and will sacrifice everything for You.” Isn’t this just empty speech? Is this coming from the heart? It’s all empty.